To make the dough, combine the flour, baking powder, yeast and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Add enough of the warm water (and flour if necessary) and knead to make a soft and smooth but not sticky dough.

Knead for 1 to 2 minutes in the bowl and then cover and set aside for about 45 minutes to an hour until it rises to almost double in size. You can also make the dough by machine.

Now make the filling. Heat the oil and add the ginger and garlic and sautxe9 until the raw smell disappears. Keep aside to cool. It is not necessary to do this and the ginger and garlic can be used as they are but I prefer to get rid of the raw small of garlic.

Turn the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into two pieces. Roll each piece into a rough rectangle (this makes rolling up easier) about 5mm thick. Brush half the ginger-garlic paste across the surface. Mix the salt with the spring onions and sprinkle half of it over this.

Roll up the dough fairly tightly, from the long side as you would a Swiss roll, then cut it into 6 or 7 slices about 3 to 4mm thick. Repeat with the remaining half of the dough and filling.

Lightly oil a steamer and place the rolls upright in the steamer (so the cut sides face up/ down) leaving about 2 to 3 inches space in between as they will expand on steaming. Loosely cover and let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes. In the meanwhile, get the water in your steamer boiling.

Steam the Tingmos over simmering water, covered, for about 15 to 20 minutes until they’re puffy, firm and cooked. Serve warm.
This recipe makes about 12 to 15 Tingmos. Double the recipe for a larger batch.

To make Tomato Based Sepen (Tibetan Hot Sauce/ Chutney)

The original recipe calls for 1 cup of dried red chillies! An authentic Sepen is meant to be very hot/ spicy. I decided to use red chilli powder instead of chillies as it would be easier to adjust the heat to our taste.
I’d suggest using as many chillies as required to tailor the dipping sauce to suit your preference. You can also use green chillies or red chilli powder instead of the dried red chillies.

Heat the oil in a pan and then add the garlic and the onion. Sauté until the onions are soft, then add the red chillies. Stir a couple of times and then add the tomatoes. Cook for a couple of minutes then add the red bell pepper, spring onions and the coriander. Cook for 2 minutes and take it off the heat. Add salt to taste, mix it in and let it cool a bit.

Then blend it till smooth. The finished sauce should be as thick as ketchup, so thin it down with a little water while blending, if necessary. Garnish with a little fresh chopped coriander and spring onions if you like. Serve as a dipping sauce with the Tingmos.

This recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups of Sepen.
This sauce/ chutney is best made and consumed fresh but will keep refrigerated for a day.